They impose a fine of 227 thousand pesos for violations in Havana markets

The Ministry of Finance and Prices (MFP) of Cuba imposed 46 fines during a tour of markets in several municipalities of Havana, which represented a total of 227 thousand pesos collected together with all those sanctioned.

According to a post on the account ofFacebook of said state agency, the inspection took place last Wednesday, March 27 in the municipalities of Old Havana, East Havana, Guanabacoa, Playa and Plaza de la Revolución.

According to what was expressed by the aforementioned ministry,Of the 46 fines imposed, 31 are based on violations established in Decree 30 of 2021, among which stood out: price violations, non-visible prices and sale of products in unauthorized places.

The sanctions are part of the Cuban regime's crusade against high prices, which aims to alleviate popular discontent on the island, despite the shortage of food products that the country suffers.

Above all, in a context in which prices often double the Cuban's basic salary, even for non-essential products, such as a package of candy,whose market value was more than 1,000 pesos before the end of 2023.

The inspections also do not distinguish the capacity of some Cubans with respect to others. At the beginning of this year,two female inspectors in Havana imposed a 9,500 peso fine on a disabled Cuban and father of four children for selling cigarettes at a bus stop.

A few weeks ago,at an MFP meeting, the governorMiguel Diaz-Canel He assured that, with his package of economic measures to “correct distortions and re-boost the economy,”prices will continue to be high, but they will not allow them to be “abusive or speculative”.

The also first secretary of the central committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) warned about the need to carry out more effective price verifications, with the aim of confronting abuse and speculation.

With inflation out of control and without a viable plan to balance the country's economy, Díaz-Canel harangued MPF officials to look for price control formulas. “We would really need it if there were no abusive and speculative actions, because that gives confidence to the population,” he said.

For his part, the head of the MPF,Vladimir Reguero Ale, committed to working this year “on strengthening price control at the local level through effective consultation, as well as on the conclusion of a centralized proposal for maximum prices based on a nomenclature of origin imported by forms of non-state management, fundamentally first need products".